ABSTRACT
Previous research on competitive male teamsports has typically found high levels of homophobia, creating a hostile environment for gay athletes (Bryant, 2001; Hekma, 1998; Pronger, 1990; Wolf-Wendel et al., 2001), which has predominantly manifested through the utility of homophobic language (Burn, 2000) and violence (Connell, 1995). Gay athletes were regularly excluded from participation in sport, treated as outsiders by those attempting to prove their heteromasculinity (Sabo & Runfola, 1980). More recent research, however, has documented that heterosexual male athletes are rapidly losing their homophobia and that gay athletes are being accepted and embraced into sport at all levels (Anderson et al., 2016; Bush et al., 2012; Jarvis, 2015; Murray & White, 2015). While this has been documented in a number of teamsports, it is football where this change has been most profound (Adams, 2011; Adams & Anderson, 2012; Anderson, 2011b; Cleland, 2014; Willis, 2015). This chapter highlights how athletes from three football teams are also adopting inclusive attitudes toward homosexuality, including the demonstration of support for social and civil equality-specifically focusing on the recent introduction of same-sex marriage in the UK. These footballers also discussed their ease at having an openly gay teammate within their team, providing a number of examples of how and when they would offer their support to them.
